Festival Ombres et Lumières

A monumental show at the heart of Gaullist memory

The Festival Ombres et Lumières transforms the Croix de Lorraine site in Colombey-les-Deux-Églises into an open-air nocturnal theater every summer. The Cross, culminating at nearly 400 meters above sea level and measuring 44.30 meters high, becomes the monumental screen for a sound and light show combining 3D video projections, historical narration, and orchestral music.

Video mapping on the Croix de Lorraine

The heart of the festival lies in a monumental video mapping projected directly onto the pink granite and bronze facades of the Croix de Lorraine. The three-dimensional projections enhance the monument's volumes and reliefs, creating striking effects of depth and movement. Video mapping technology brings to life key historical events – the Appeal of June 18th, the Liberation, the Fifth Republic – in a luminous and sonorous staging of great emotional intensity.

A journey between heritage and artistic creation

Beyond the main show, the festival offers a luminous trail through the gardens and surroundings of the Mémorial Charles de Gaulle, where visual installations, light effects, and sound creations invite visitors to a contemplative stroll. Contemporary visual artists and videographers are regularly invited to present ephemeral works that dialogue with the site's heritage.

A historical narrative carried by great voices

Various editions of the festival have featured iconic voices from French cinema and theater to carry the narrative. Robert Hossein and then Alain Delon lent their voices to stories retracing the de Gaulle generation through radio, television, and cinema. The soundtrack blends original music, radio archives, and excerpts from popular French songs of the 1960s, by artists such as Johnny Hallyday, Jacques Dutronc, Édith Piaf, and Serge Gainsbourg.

An event rooted in the Haute-Marne territory

Located twenty minutes from Chaumont and an hour from the Vosges, the festival is a major cultural event for the Haute-Marne department and the Grand Est region. It is part of the heritage and memory valorization initiative led by the Mémorial Charles de Gaulle, which opened in 2008. Since its first edition in 2013, which attracted 30,000 spectators, the show has continually renewed itself, integrating the latest technologies in mapping and light scenography to offer a unique experience each year.